We had a great time today ... at the zoo and with friends. It was crazy hot outside for October, but we all still had a great time at the zoo. The children both enjoyed seeing all the animals. Petra particularly liked the Bonobo monkeys and the giraffes.
After the zoo we headed to spend some time with friends. It was a very relaxing afternoon hanging out with old friends.
Thomas and I started talking on the way home, and once we started to talk about it, we were really shocked at how well the children did all day. They missed their naps and they were absolutely fantastic. It was really enjoyable and pleasant day. There was absolutely no fussing or crying for the 6 hours we were in the car. They never fought, pulled or pushed anyone. There was barely any screaming or crying. And to top it off Petra asked to go potty 3 times. It was a fantastic family day trip.
Jasper's dream came true...a mound of dirt larger than him.
Since last night was such a failure, and Jasper never had cake or the chance to open his presents, tonight became our second attempt at a suitable birthday party.
And as you can tell from the photos, we were much more successful.
He enjoyed the presents more than I expected. And Petra was more than willing to help open them. (This year Christmas is going to be so much fun!!!)
And the cupcake was a hit! He was terribly disappointed when it was all gone. (Do you think he's going to be upset when he is older and realizes I had a pink bib on him?)
After a full 9 hours at work, I decided the easiest way to throw a small party for Jasper's birthday was to head to Chuck E Cheese for a evening of fun and games.
Petra had a great time. Jasper not so much.
The evening would be suitably titled Operation Failure.
Have I ever mentioned Jasper often acts stubborn, or as Thomas so eloquently put it tonight "bullheaded."
He decided while we were there that he really wanted a bottle and we didn't have one with us. I tried to distract him with games, the slide, food, his drink, and even with a cupcake to no avail. After about 20 minutes of his screaming we left. He screamed the entire ride home and kicked his legs.
Petra started gymnastics one month ago. We now go every Saturday morning at 11 am and we really look forward to it.
It's a mommy and me class so I get to go as well. I would have added photos earlier, but because Thomas was testing, he wasn't able to come take photos of us in class. (In fact, for the last two weeks I had Jasper strapped to my back during the class.)
I was slightly worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up, but alas, my only job is really to encourage Petra and keep her behavior in check. And I was right, I don't seem to be keeping up. In fact, keeping her behavior in check is quite a challenge. She likes to be the teacher's pet. What this means is she wants the teachers attention, rather than mine. So, what happens is all the other little children are happily following their mothers while my child insists on getting as close to the coach as possible and not following my directions at all.
In general, she has her good moments in class, and her not so good. But so do all the children. We will be working on her behavior over the next few weeks.
Her skills are great. She is doing fantastic. Each week Petra is quite happy when I tell her it is time for gymnastics and she loves her new leotard.
It has been outstanding for her, and each week we see improvements in what she is able to do in class. And also, at the park she has become more adventuresome (see the post below), climbing up ladders and other things.
The class has a range of children, usually from about 18 months to 2.5 years. I really like the class. It starts in a toddler area where everything is a perfect size for toddlers. Then, we go into the larger area and run and stretch on the floor mats. Then its off to the big balance beams, trampolines, ropes, bars and rings. I love that part of every class is in the big gym. Petra loves watching the older children practice.
This week she improved quite dramatically on the bar; I wasn't expecting it. Four weeks ago she was the only child in her class that could hold onto the bar and bring their feet up a substantial amount. (now, granted, her class has only about 8 children) But this week, she brought her toes all the way up to the bar and kept them their by herself--so that both her hands and toes were on the bar at the same time. I was so proud.
Today, while walking across the balance beams Petra had watched a girl flip and jump on the trampoline. The result was a very jumpy little girl in the balance beam.
And Jasper really likes to watch and I think he wants to participate. They allow children at 12 months to participate. But he is not ready. There is no way he is balanced enough to start yet.
We found out this morning Thomas passed the first section of his prelims unanimously!!!
For those of you who have spoken with me over the last week you know that we had quite a surprise about 10 days ago when Thomas got a call from school telling him to come pick up his prelim test. He was expecting it in January.
Last weekend he was tested on American Government. He was asked to respond to 4 questions over a weekend and basically provide as much information as he could on the theories and research associated with those questions. I spent the entire weekend watching the children solo, while he typed away. By Monday morning, he had about 45 pages to turn in.
This weekend was a repeat, except the topic was Public Policy and he was given 3 questions rather than 4. And he was also limited to no more than 10 pages on each question.
If he passes both sections of his prelims he will be able to move on to his dissertation stage. If he fails, he must take the test again. If someone fails twice they are booted from the program. To pass the test, he must receive 4 passes from a total of 6 reviewers.
So the news we received this morning was that all 6 reviewers passed him unanimously on the American Government test, and we are just thrilled …and hoping for similar results on the second test next week.
We had a great time today ... at the zoo and with friends. It was crazy hot outside for October, but we all still had a great time at the zoo. The children both enjoyed seeing all the animals. Petra particularly liked the Bonobo monkeys and the giraffes.
